Princes of the Universe
by slythadri
Summary: AU, OOC. A different kind of magic. They are drawn to each other, condemned to fight for the prize. But maybe there is hope. Rated M for some references to violence and sexual content. Dramione, Hansy, others.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: this story is loosely based on one of my favorite movies, and it happened because today I have been listening to the soundtrack over and over again.

The music is of course by Queen. Enjoy!

00000000

 _Here we are_

 _Born to be Kings_

 _We're the Princes of the Universe_

Driving is one of the things that clears my mind. Not in traffic, of course, but speeding through the open road. The Scottish countryside is my absolute favorite place to do it. The beautiful landscape brings back lots of memories of times that were simpler. Scotland is my homeland. In fact, it is the homeland of many of us. This country is enveloped in legend and magic, and the fact that so many of us are from here may be tied to the land itself. I love cruising through it driving my black Porshe, which is my favorite car. I like that it is unassuming for a high-end machine. I like to think that it somehow resembles me, a lot of power that is easily recognizable without being flashy. Do you think me vain? Well, think again. For I am only stating the facts. I have amassed a considerable amount of power since I first crossed these lands. Every time I defeat another their power is transferred to me. And I have defeated many over the years. Over the centuries. For that is what we do. We find each other and we fight.

And who are we? We are the immortals. Doomed to long, solitary lives, driven only by the pull, the need to find others of our kind and fight, not to the death, but worst. We cannot die, at least in the way normal humans do. If the mortal wound is caused by a cursed blade, we cease to exist as humans, but we get trapped in a limbo of sorts. No one knows what really happens in that stale existence, but some fear it so much they had devised a way to channel it, by commisioning magical paintings were the condemn may at least communicate with the living. I have not commissioned mine, as I cannot stomach the idea of being trapped in that frame for a cell eternally, though the alternative is absolutely unknown. Maybe I just hope to win the prize. The prize, of course, is death. The final destination. The definitive rest. The end of this absurd existence. Humans fear death, it is a natural instinct. But we immortals crave it. Because we know death is not the worst thing that can happen. Death is a friend.

My name is Harry Potter. That's my name now, and it has been for a while. I was born Henry Peverell, back in 1305. My clan was loyal to the Scottish king Robert the Bruce, and I fought in his army for years, until something strange happened. On my last battle, I was killed. Or at least, I should have been. An English Lieutenant put his sword through my back and came out of my chest, the tip showing right in front of my heart. My clan collected my body and cleaned it, preparing t for burial. I was left overnight on a table, as tradition demands, but I was very much dead. Until I wasn't. I remember taking a sharp breath and sitting up, terrified. I walked out of the hut, naked and trembling, and then she saw me. My fiance Romilda was keeping vigil for me. She screamed in horror and ran away, yelling for her father and brothers to protect her. They came out, as did much of the village, and they chase me with swords and torches, and I run until I reached a cliff and jumped. I'm sure they thought me dead once again. But I could actually breathe even under the water, and though my body hit the rocks hard with every wave and it hurt, as soon as I reached the shore I could feel my cracked bones repairing themselves. After that day I started my solitary life. I stole clothes and some food, then went from village to village asking for labor, then moving again. But my great skill was the sword. So I offered my services to the lords of the land, as a mercenary. They are all greedy, always trying to take from one another, so there was always work for me. My wayward life took me to Ireland and I saw him: a redheaded man who ran and threw himself off a cliff. From my vantage point far away I watched him fall. I saw his body surface from the water and being dragged by the waves, just as mine had been once. And then, to my utter surprise, I saw him swim to the shore, then stand and walk out to the beach. He let himself fall on the sand, then after a few hours he woke up and went around his business, setting up a campfire and shooting some prey with a lance. All that time I had been watching him and something made me approach. Not just curiosity, I felt pulled towards the man. When he saw me coming he got on guard, lance in hand. I lifted my hands in a gesture of no harm, then slowed the pace of my horse and saluted him.

"Greetings. I am Henry Peverell, currently under the service of Baron Lisle."

The redhead laughed.

"You mean you are a mercenary for Lord Lisle. By your looks, I doubt you serve him in any other capacity."

I smiled and dismounted, offering a hand that the man took. When he did, I felt a jolt, and he smiled, looking at my disconcerted face.

"Is this your first encounter?"

"Encounter?"

"With another immortal. What brought you here was the pull. And what you felt was kinship. We are not to fight, at least not until the end," he said with a sad smile on his face.

I sat on a log by the fire and he sat in front of me. My expression must have made it obvious to him that I didn't know what he was talking about.

"The name is Ronald. Ronald Weasley, son of Lord Arthur Weasley. And I am an immortal too. As was my older brother, Charles. He was the one that explained it all to me. He ran away to become a sailor, and we had not seen him for years when suddenly he returned home. A few months before his arrival I had a strange accident, a horse fell that I should have not survived but I did. At the time my father and brothers were off on business and mum kept her observations to herself, but she knew I should not have survived what I did. My sister was then too young to be suspicious, so mum relayed on her to care for me and by the time Father was back I had recovered. Our home was pretty far from the village so there were no witnesses to my fall except for mum and she gave Father a vague explanation of my condition. But I could see she was nervous around me, so after a few months, I left home. This is our land, but few people come this way, so I hid here. Charles found me. The pull brought him to me and he explained my destiny. He was the one to teach me how to conjure my power into the blade to defeat the other immortals. He trained me and after a few months, he left again. After a few years, I suddenly stopped feeling the connection to him, so I assume someone cut his head," Ronald said looking down.

A ring brings me off my memories and back to the present. I smile and click the screen to answer the phone.

"Ron. how are you mate?"

"Happy and sloshed. As you should be too. Are you driving? Where are you?"

"Scotland."

"Are you seriously going to meet her? Do you really believe is true? An immortal woman? Don't you think it may be a trap?"

"I think she's real, mate. She wants to meet at St Andrews College, on sacred ground. She doesn't want a fight. And I think she may know something we don't."

"Well, if you insist, I'll leave you to it. A beautiful bartender here is making sure I pace myself so I go home with her. She doesn't know I could drink my weight in Scotch and still function. Her name is Lavender. Isn't that lovely?"

"Adorable. Have fun for the both of us. I'll let you know if something interesting happens."


	2. Chapter 2

_Here we belong_

 _Fighting to survive_

 _In a world with the darkest powers_

I begrudgingly slow down as I exit the highway. The gps shows that I should be at St Andrew's soon. It's 11 pm on a Saturday night in the summer. The library where I'm meeting this woman must be deserted, I muse. The few students around are for sure getting sloshed at the pubs. She made sure they will be no prying eyes. I park and walk through the beautiful campus. I don't need a map to find the place, I can feel her. I walk into the library and follow my instincts to a secluded wing. There, standing in front of a large table, books spread all over it, is a woman that looks my age. Not my real age, of course, but she looks the age I appear to be: no more than twenty-two. She has curly brown hair held up in a messy bun that on her looks quite good. When she looks at me I see that she is indeed beautiful, with almond-shaped eyes and a beautiful mouth. Her fitted white oxford shirt and jeans outline a nice body. I feel an unfamiliar itch, one that I haven't felt in centuries. I occasionally fulfill my needs with casual women, not as frequently as Ron does, but I always keep it anonymous, as attachment is sure to bring only pain. But this woman is an immortal. Could it mean companionship is actually possible to us?

Before I can get lost in that thought she calls on me

"Mr. Potter, I'm glad you came."

I approach and offer my hand

"Please, call me Harry."

"Hermione Granger. Please, come around, I want to show you something."

She doesn't beat around the bush. I stand next to her and look at the books and at her notes on her laptop. It looks like some sort of genealogy, except that the people listed are interconnected in different directions. Some of the lines are solid and some are red and dotted. I enhanced some of the names and a chill runs down my spine. I know many of these names. Albus Dumbledore, Armando Dippet, Theseus Scamander, Charles Weasley, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, Igor Karkaroff, Bartholomew Crouch, Evan Rosier, Walden Mcnair. The last four names were connected to mine with a red dotted line. I look at her, my heart pounding in my chest. She holds my gaze and talks.

"There are no useful legal documents on any of this deaths, but I'm good at solving puzzles. Am I correct, Harry, did you take down these four?"

I hold her gaze but do not answer. She tries something else. She enhances another section of the bizarre genealogy. I see the names Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Black, Amycus Carrow, and Thorfinn Rowle connected with a red dotted line to the initials HG.

She took them down. All of them. I don't dare to say the words. All I can muster is

"Bellatrix. Another woman? So you are not the only one?"

She laughs

"Indeed, I am not the only one. But I'll concede that there are less immortal women than men. I calculate about 20 percent.

I laugh at that. This girl is a nerd. Girl. Woman. I can't stop the words from coming out of my mouth.

"How old are you?"

She looks down at her laptop and answers

"I was born in 1789 in France, in the middle of the revolution. I was orphaned by it. I guess the first sign of my immortality was that I did not starve. I realized early on that being a girl was not safe, so I passed myself as a boy until my late teens. I served as a footman for an army officer and eventually convinced him to let me spar with him when he practiced. That 's how I got skilled with the blade. I have impersonated men most of my life, but then finally in the 1920s women had more freedom and I let myself regain my real identity. It's been fairly good for the last fifty years, all things considered."

"Pretty young thing," my brain offers. I shake my head. This woman could be an invaluable ally, better not to waste that opportunity for a few shags.

Then I noticed that she has turned to me, her hands hovering over my chest. That is not helping my case. But then I look into her eyes and see a hint of fear.

"You are very powerful. Your list is much longer than what I could put together, isn't it?"

I close my eyes

"I...collected many names back in my beginnings. The Vikings were all over the place and they had many immortals in their ranks. They were vicious and cruel, so me and Ron spent years protecting as many innocents as we could from them. We both accumulated quite a bit of power back then."

"Ron. you mean Ronald Weasley?" she said, looking again at her screen.

"Yes."

"He took down Yaxley a few decades ago, but he has not been very active in the last century. But you have."

I shrug

"They all came to find me, I didn't look them up."

She nodded. I got curious about something

"So, do you really have collected only four names since 1789? You have not felt the pull or being sought by others?"

She turned to face me

"Back in France, I met Severus Snape on a tavern when I was a footman. He sniffed me out immediately and dragged me to a corner to interrogate me. I told him the things I had figured out on my own and explained to him that I didn't want to kill. He snarled, said that was impossible, but explain to me how the pull cuts down when you are on sacred land. I joined a couple of convents after finding out that, then realized it would be more practical to pass as a monk so I could have access to libraries. When things got better for women I worked as a groundskeeper at Stonehenge for a few years," she cut herself before the next words would escape her mind

 _That's where I met him._

Harry interrupted her thoughts

"So what about the four...names."

She sigh

"They all hunt me down. They felt the pull, then located themselves near me, since I would eventually have to leave the sacred ground. Bellatrix Black actually passed herself as a sick woman to enter the convent where I was, then in the middle of the night opened the gates and let her partner, Lestrange, come in. They dragged me out between the two of them. That night I killed Lestrange, he was a big man but I managed to overpower him. Bellatrix had probably planned to let him kill me and then she would betray and kill him, get the power of both in one strike. But they didn't count on this," she says pulling a small blade from what I thought was a hairpin holding her bun. It was an ornated silver piece, probably not much of a threat in hand to hand combat, but if she could curse it and then deliver a lethal blow, she could overtake anyone. I can see it now: she is fast and smart, she doesn't need physical strength, only needs to find an opening. She continued her story.

"The commotion was too loud and both Bellatrix and I had to flee the scene. I made sure she wouldn't follow me, but she kept looking for me for years. I left the continent and came to the isles but she found me at Stonehenge and followed me one day as I went for groceries. She was very powerful, she almost killed me, but then he showed up and bought me the time I needed to regroup." She trailed off so I asked

"Who?"

She closed her eyes

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."


	3. Chapter 3

_And here we are_

 _We're the Princes of the Universe_

 _Here we belong_

 _Fighting for survival_

"Malfoy? The Duke of Wiltshire?"

"The very same one," answers a female voice. A shadowy figure emerges from behind a bookshelf. The clicking of her high heels resonates through the high ceiling room. When she comes into the light I have to make a huge effort to stay in place. If I found the first woman beautiful, this one is blowing my mind. An absolutely perfect body wrapped in a tight, short black dress and a pair of expensive black pumps. Jet black hair in a bob cut. Huge dark eyes, a turned up nose and the most luscious lips I've seen in years. She is definitely much more my type. She walks purposefully around Hermione, rushing her shoulders with her hand and kissing her cheek. I can see that she is doing it to taunt me. A _Femme Fatale._ This woman is dangerous, but I cannot tell if she is lethal.

"Marguerite," says Hermione, returning the kiss. I'm glad you decided to join us."

The dark haired woman smiles, her face resting on Hermione's shoulders.

"Call me Pansy. That is my name now," she says looking at me. "Pansy Parkinson, Englishwoman. Formerly Marguerite Dubois, Frenchwoman. And for a while, Marguerite Malfoy, Duchess of Wiltshire. That is until I figured out that I was an immortal, like my husband, and I ran away, fearing that we could fall into the pull and one would cut the other's throat in their sleep. I went back to France and joined the convent of the Dominicans in Lyon, that's where we met," she said, gazing at Hermione.

I feel dizzy with all this information. I have known the Duke for a couple of centuries now and stayed clear of him since I could never understand the nature of our pull. I know for sure he has never hunted me, but we have never been companions either. We bump into each other more than I have ever done with other immortals save Ron, and we acknowledge each other. And I can feel that he is powerful, especially considering how young he is. Young for an immortal that is, he must be contemporary with the woman he married, as it seems it was a traditional arranged marriage, so neither of them should have known of their immortality yet.

"How did you find out about your immortality?" I ask Pansy.

"I always had a like for blades, but as a child, I had to keep it under wraps. A noble girl would never play with such things. I was sent to England to Marry Draco and we had an agreeable companionship for a while. He was a master of the blade and I asked him to teach me, which he did. We had a connection that was not exactly romantic, but we understood each other. Then one night when he was away on a secret campaign for the king a man climbed through the window and hovered over me. He had come to kill Draco but thought that since he was not in bed as expected he could have some fun with me. That was his mistake. He covered my mouth and tried to fondle me, but I had a dagger under my pillow and since I woke in a panic I instinctively pulled my power to the blade and kill him with one stab to the neck. The man was Gellert Grindelwald, so the amount of power that he transferred to me was...considerable. That's when I understood the magnitude of everything, and I was gone before Draco returned. We had not been able to have children, of course, as immortals can't, so I used that as justification to leave since his father was back then quite disappointed about that. Joining the convent seemed like a good idea, it was both a haven and an excuse to disappear. But then I understood why I had chosen that particular place," she said, running her fingers through Hermione's hair.

"So you two are lovers?" I venture, a hint of disappointment in my voice.

"We are companions," Hermione answers.

'We can be intimate or not," adds Pansy, knowing that is the most tantalizing answer she can give me. We are what our lives have made us."

I close my eyes, trying to erase the sensual images of the two women that flood my mind, and finally ask about the real reason why we are here.

"Why did you invited me here? Besides tracking down as many immortals as you can, what else have you found?" I ask looking at Hermione.

She gestures for the three of us to walk towards a small circle of leather armchairs. We sit and the two women hold hands and squeeze, as to give courage to each other. Hermione speaks

"I think there is a solution. A way out, without having to kill each other. I believe we were condemned to this life by a madman who wanted immortality but he didn't know that there were others like him, so he awakened this curse for all of us."

"Who?" I ask, mesmerized.

"He goes by the name Tom Riddle."

I feel my heart beat fast. Thomas the Riddle, Lord Voldemort. He tried to kill me once, back in Ireland when I went looking for employment as a mercenary. When I asked for an audience they took me to his chambers and as soon as he saw me he went crazy and attacked me. I disarmed him and flee, but he has been hunting me ever since. He was the main reason why I declared a personal war against the Vikings, I was thirsty for power, knowing that the madman was also making himself stronger to ensure he will kill me the next time we faced each other. I have been able to avoid him for over five hundred years, but I always have to look over my shoulder.

"How did you figure it out?" I ask Hermione

"At first it was a hunch. There seemed to be a pattern on the attacks. Some of the vicious immortals seemed to be a clan. After following whatever trails they left I tracked Severus Snape and confronted him. He confessed that indeed, there was a clan of sorts, called the Death Eaters. They follow Riddle, and they hunt down other immortals. Severus joined them for a while, hoping to get the prize, but then figured out that they would eventually turn against each other, whoever is left, but he suspects that only Riddle will be the last one standing. He has secured that somehow."

Pansy stands from her seat and comes to sit on the arm of mine.

"And that is where you come in, darling," she says, caressing my face. "Severus said that he did not have all the answers but someone else did. We need to find him, but we are sure the Death Eaters are on our tail. We need protection. That is why we have been hiding here for a while now, masquerading as lagging grad students, trying to buy enough time to get the pieces of information together. And you, sweetheart, are the last piece. You are the most powerful immortal besides Riddle. We need you." Then she cups my face and to my astonishment kisses me full on the mouth. "We will give you anything you want."

I look at Hermione, stunned, and she rolls her eyes

"Stop pimping me out, Marguerite. If you want him, you can have him."

"For Merlin's sake, you have to get used to call me Pansy. And if you can't see how gorgeous he is, you are in denial."


	4. Chapter 4

_I am immortal_

 _I have inside me blood of kings_

"Who are you looking for?"

Hermione takes a deep breath

"Albus Dumbledore."

"Albus Dumbledore is dead," I answer quickly, feeling disappointed.

"I know," she counters, but he commissioned a painting. He was able to perform the ritual and leave his imprint on it before being killed. And we know where the painting is."

"Where?"

"The noble and most ancient house of Black. The house of England that has produced the most immortals. The family home is somewhere in London," said Pansy.

I shake my head and the words blurt out of my mouth

"12 Grimmauld place. I have been there." the two women look at me, surprised. I explain. "Sirius Black was a friend until he was killed. They say it was one of his relatives."

"Bellatrix. She was the one who did it," says Hermione. "And Sirius Black was an ally of Dumbledore, so when he heard about his death he broke into his house before the Death Eaters got there and stole it. He hid it in the basement of Grimmauld Place and Bellatrix killed him looking for it, but she couldn't find it."

"It's settled then," says Pansy, "let's get some rest and we can leave in the morning for London. I assume you have a car, darling?" she asks, running her fingers through my hair. I nod, enthralled by her touch, but then clear my throat and say

"We need more people. We have to assume that the Riddle is after the painting too, so he must have guards in all the possible hideouts. We need a clan. I'll call Ron, he is already in London. Do you know anyone else?"

Pansy looks at Hermione, eyebrow lifted, while the other woman blushes.

"We could make a stop in Wiltshire."

"Pansy, I don't think that…"

The black haired woman stops her with a gesture

"I know you have...some kind of conflicting feelings for him, but I assure you, he would be loyal to me."

Hermione shakes her head looking at the floor. I ask

"Wiltshire? You mean Malfoy? Can he be trusted?"

"Has he ever attack you?" she counters. I shake my head no.

"And he saved your life," she says looking at Hermione.

"He was not happy about it, trust me," the curly woman answers.

"He must have had a reason to react in an unpleasant way. But it's been years and you haven't heard from him, so he is definitely not hunting you. I'll talk to him and if I sense any danger I'll take care of him myself."

"You are cold," I blurt.

She shrugs

"I'm pragmatic. Also, I'm pretty sure he would want to join us. We have a connection and he is pulling for my companionship. I can feel it in my bones."

"Alright then, we'll do it your way. Let's go rest," says Hermione, then she looks at me "do you want to go to a hotel or would you be ok on our couch?"

My heart pounds like is going to jump out of my chest.

"Couch is fine," I muster. We all walk out towards the parking lot and my car is the only one there.

"Nice! says Pansy. We have been laying low for a while now, I miss having some luxury in my life," she says looking at Hermione with fake reproachfulness. The other girl rolls her eyes

"We are grad students, we should live as such. You are flashy enough with your overly expensive wardrobe."

"What can I say, I'm spoiled," she says walking towards the front passenger seat. I open the driver's door and let Hermione into the back seat. I guess is good she is so tiny. Not a lot of room there.

They give me directions to their building in the graduate housing complex, which is on campus and therefore I assume is holy ground, safe for all of us to be together here. Smart girls.

"Welcome to our humble abode", says Pansy theatrically. "The loo is there, and that is your couch… unless you prefer better accommodations," she says, winking maliciously and getting into one of the bedrooms, closing the door behind her.

"Help yourself to anything in the fridge, there are blankets and sheets on the linen closet," says Hermione. We can leave at nine after rush traffic is passed.

I nod and thank her. She goes into her room and closes the door. I sit on the couch, fidgeting. " _Better accommodations._ " does she mean it? Does she really want me to go to her room? Or is she just being a tease and may stab my neck if she thinks I'm trying to take advantage? I rub my face and suddenly my legs move on their own and I am standing in front of the room door. For a few seconds I hesitate, my hand ready to knock but I do not dare to do it. Suddenly the door opens and I'm being pulled inside by my collar, door slamming behind me. I'm happy to see that she has not got out of the devilish little dress and I can't wait to rip it off her. We are kissing wildly and walk her back towards the bed. When she feels it behind her she makes a swift move, switching us up and making me lose my balance and I flop on the bed. She stands in front of me, her hands reaching to her back for her zipper.

"Let me do it," I beg

She obliges, turning around and looking at me over her shoulder, smirking. Temptress. I sit up and slowly pull it down, all the way to the place where her lower back turns into the delicious curve of her arse. I reach for the straps of the dress and lower them down her shoulders until they slip down her arms. I kiss my way down from her shoulder blades to her lower back, pull the dress down her hips and it falls on the floor. In front of me is the most enticing thing I've seen in my life: she is wearing a g-string, so her bare cheeks are framed by strings of pearls. I'm so hard is painful. I turn her around and follow the pearl strings to the front, where they hold a small triangle of white lace that is so wet it looks like it may dissolve. I run my thumb over it and she takes a sharp breath in. I trace slow circles until my finger is soaked and I reach to put it to her lips. She sucks it greedily, and I pull it off her mouth to rub it over the hardening nipples that stand in front of me. She laces her fingers in my hair and guides my face to them. I happily oblige. I remember the Song of Solomon that the elders used to read at the weddings in my village

 _Your breasts are like two fawns_

 _Twins of a gazelle_

 _Grazing among the lilies_

I feast on those breasts for a while, then stand and quickly switch us again, leaning her on the bed. She is a vision and I enjoy the view while I undo my shirt and trousers and let them fall on the floor. I get rid of my boxers and enjoy the way she stares at me, biting her lip and shamelessly scanning my body. She beckons me with a finger and I oblige. I kneel between her legs and help her out of the sinful string of pearls and she wraps her legs around me, inviting me in. Her hot, wet core is a drug and I feel high inside of her, and I hold her tight while I rock my self in and out, her delightful moans make me lose track of the world and all I want is to feel this woman come around me. As if reading my mind she does, clenching, squeezing, and I feel myself fall over the edge, pulsing in pleasure.


	5. Chapter 5

I wake up to an unfamiliar feeling. I feel happy. Joyful. Something I don't remember being for the longest time. Maybe never. I look down and see jet black hair and a delicate arm wrapped around my chest, using me as a pillow. It's been centuries since I had such a view. I never spend the night with a woman, even when they were known to not expect anything. I avoided getting used to the comfort of feminine company, as it could never last. Even when it lasted a lifetime since I have been on this earth for more than ten human lives. The last woman that was ever wrapped around me was my wife, Ginevra. She knew my secret because two of her brothers were immortal two, and she stayed close to Ron behind her family's back until the day she died. She eloped to be with me and to be near her favorite brother, as they were close in age. She died young, back when the winter would take people away. And it ripped my heart apart. I never got close to anyone again and neither did Ron, fearful of such fate.

But now, for the first time in centuries, I was not afraid. Pansy was an immortal too, and even though one of us could get killed by our rivals, at least I felt like that was something I could fight. She wouldn't be taken away from me by old age or disease. She could choose to leave me, but at least that was a choice. And we immortals have very few choices, so we value all of them. As if hearing my thoughts, the beauty in my arms shifts and peppers kisses on my chest and up my neck until she reaches my lips and pecks on them.

"Good morning," she says with a sleepy voice.

"Good morning beautiful."

"Smell that? I love it when she is nervous, she gets hyper and it's usually good for me," she grins.

I take a whiff and it smells delicious. Pancakes and warm syrup. Pansy slips off the bed and wraps herself in a white silk robe that only makes me want to drag her back to bed.

"Put on some boxers and join us in the kitchen. She is not very patient when she thinks there is a schedule to follow."

I jump off the bed and put on the boxers and undershirt I had last night. I walk out and head to the kitchen. I hear a playful conversation

"Who is the best roommate in the whole wide world?"

"Cut it off, you are just singing for your supper."

"Actually I'm singing for my breakfast, which you so sweetly made because you are the best,"

I hear exaggerated peck and kissing noises, giggles and more "stop it." I walk into the kitchen and Pansy has Hermione on a sort of girly bear hug, pecking noisy kisses on her temple and cheeks and tickling to make her laugh. I have to fake a cough to turn my back so I can do something about the pop-up tent that just jumped inside my boxers. Not that there is much I can do.

"Morning," I say, feeling my cheeks burn.

"Morning Harry, breakfast is ready if I can manage to serve it. Let me go, Captain Snuggles."

Pansy fakes a pout and lets go of her friend. She reaches her hand to pull me to sit at the table and sits on my lap. Hermione gives her a questioning look but quickly turns her eyes to the food.

"We don't usually have any company," she says in my ear. "Come to think about it you may be the first boy I ever brought home," she laughs.

"You didn't bring him home, he was a guest and you attacked him."

"I think I volunteered," I say foolishly. Hermione rolls her eyes but puts the food on the table while Pansy laughs, either at me or with me, I'm not sure. For all of my years, when it comes to women I'm little more than a teenage boy. I know how to find a willing woman to take to bed and leave quickly after, but this is uncharted territory.

Somehow I make it through breakfast, Hermione volunteers to do some sort of "steam freshen up" cycle on the dryer for my clothes while I shower and soon we are on the road. Despite my crazy speeding, which they don't seem to mind at all, it is a long drive and we get to know each other better. In a different life, these two women would be oil and water, but they are bonded by the unique circumstances of our curse. They love each other fiercely, I can tell, and they would die for each other. They have been apart from time to time, and Hermione relates her own story of heartbreak. Viktor was her lover, an immortal from the continent that she met when she was hiding in Romania during the time that Bellatrix Black had been on her heels. They were together for half a century, but he too was being hunted and he was murdered. I asked who.

"Igor Karkaroff. So I guess I owe you a debt of gratitude,"she says sourly.

I don't have words to answer to that, so I don't. She continued.

"That is when I got suspicious of the circumstances of the curse. Viktor told me that Karkaroff always tended to return to the region of Albania, although he was not born there. I told him that I stayed away from my native France because Bellatrix seemed to wander the country frequently, although she was obviously British."

"There is something about Scotland," I say. There are immortals born all around the British Isles but the closer you get to Edinburgh the more stories you hear. Come to think about it, Ron is from Ireland but Ginny used to joke that he was a hardheaded Scot like me because he was likely conceived there, one time that their parents were on a trip there."

"Who's Ginny?" asks Pansy, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

I take a deep breath and feel my heart cringe

"My wife. She was Ron's sister. She knew our secret, she knew that I could never give her children and yet she stayed with me. Until the sweating sickness took her. She was thirty-seven."

I feel Pansy's hand on my leg and I take it in mine and kiss it. She gives me a sad smile. Is hard to know when to give condolences for things that happened hundreds of years ago. We ride in silence for a while and then it hits me

"Vikings!"

"What?" both of them ask in unison

"Vikings. When I gained most of my power was during the time I fought the Vikings because they had loads of immortals among them."

"Norway. That makes four cardinal points in Europe. Eastern Europe, the British Isles on the West, the South of France and Norway on the North. The closer you are to those points the more immortals you encounter."

"There is something about the land then. A hidden power that awakens the curse."

By now we are approaching Wiltshire, and Pansy gives me directions to Malfoy Manor. I feel a ping of jealousy and wonder out loud how has he manage to keep his name over the centuries without people suspecting anything.

"Arrogance has its advantages," Pansy shrugs. "He disappears for fifty years, leaves a steward in place with hereditary privileges and comes back claiming to be the son or grandson, named after, well, himself," she chuckles.

My feelings towards Malfoy have always been conflicting, I do not have reasons to hate him or like him, yet I know there is a strong pull between us. But now, knowing that he had Pansy on his bed, actually, that he was the first man to have her is driving me nuts. With long lives like ours I should not be judging, but I can't help it. It took all but a minute for her to have me wrapped around her finger and now my emotions are out of control. I pull into the long driveway of the manor and after a few minutes stop in front of the palatial entrance. The heavy doors open and I expect a uniformed servant, but the Duke himself walks out, wearing dark jeans and a fitted shirt. He is a fucking modern greek god.

"Oh wow," I hear Hermione say, an involuntary expression, and that only makes my blood boil hotter.

"Yup. Showtime," Pansy says, and she walks out of the car and gracefully climbs the steps to where the impressive blonde man stands. I see her approach and he offers his hand. She takes it and he bows to kiss it for what feels like an eternity. I can feel my face growing hot and would give anything to hear the conversation.

"The wayward wife returns. Marguerite, darling, how lovely to see you. What do you call yourself these days?" said Draco with his signature smirk.

"Pansy Parkinson. I'm an Englishwoman now. How do you like my accent, darling?"

He chuckles

"I think I miss your french drawl, just a bit."


	6. Chapter 6

They talked for a few minutes, and she tried to summarize that they had a possible solution to their common conundrum. He looked shocked, confused, and even a bit upset. Finally, she said

"Hermione is the best person to explain it to you. She is the one that has figured out most of it, but she is wary of you, so you have some explaining to do."

He looked towards the car, recognition in his eyes.

"She was the woman from Stonehenge. She took down Bellatrix."

"Yes, and she thinks you hate her for it."

He shook his head.

"It was a confusing moment. She killed my parents. She killed my mother, her own sister. I thought I was the one to avenge them."

Pansy held his hands

"Then explain that to her."

They talk a bit longer and he walked back into the house while she went back to the car.

"Out, both of you. We'll do introductions or reintroductions and rearrangements here so we can go straight to Grimmauld place."

"Rearrangements? What do you..."

Hermione was interrupted by the sound of another sports car. A dark grey Aston Martin parked next to the Porshe and the blonde Duke got out of it.

"Draco darling, this is…"

"Henry Peverell, much sought after soldier of fortune, the best one money could buy I believe," Draco said extending his hand with a malicious smile.

"In a past life, yes. And call me Harry. Potter."

"You know Potter, I sent for you once. Offered a small fortune. You sent my man back naked and with his head half shaved. You and your ginger friend did that."

Harry shrugged.

"What can I say. You served the king of England. I'm a Scot. Back then that mattered, a lot."

The blonde man nodded and they both turned towards a sound of bickering. The two women were arguing, Hermione stubbornly seated in the back of Harry's car, arms crossed. Draco put his hand on Pansy's shoulder

"Allow me, dear," and he opened the car door, folded the front seat and offered his hand.

"Madam, I dare say you must be tired after a long drive in that small space. Please let me help you out of there."

She looked at him, shocked, but automatically took the offered hand. He helped her out delicately and when she stood outside he bowed to kiss the hand.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, at your service."

"Hermione Granger. Thank you."

"My dear Marguerite tells me that you have found a solution to our little problem? I'm sorry, I think I should call her Pansy, right?" he said, malice in his smile.

"That's fine, I knew her when she was still Marguerite. But she does prefer Pansy now. Anyway, yes I think I may have found something, at least some hope," she said, looking down. For some reason, she didn't feel in charge in front of this man, so her plan suddenly sounded like childish hope to her own ears.

"Hope is more than what I have now Miss Granger. And I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter."

"Hermione. Call me Hermione."

"Only if you call me Draco. Shall we? He said, gesturing towards the Aston Martin and walking in front to open the door for her. He turned to Harry who said

"12 Grimmauld Place, London."

"I'll follow you anyways. I hope you don't drive slow."

"Oh, I don't," said Harry, smirking.

They speed down the driveway and into the highway. Pansy chuckled.

"What?"

"Just to be clear, I left Draco literally centuries ago. No need for a pissing contest."

He could feel his cheeks go hot but tried to save face

"I don't know what you mean. He asked if I drove slow and I said no. It's a mutual agreement to speed up." Great, he thought, I sound like an idiot.

She rolled her eyes

"Of course darling. Whatever you say. So, tell me, do you have any idea how are we going to get into Grimmauld Place?"

"Well, is likely that the house is abandoned, being a familial house with no rightful heirs, and if we are lucky, the key on the potted plant is still there. The last time I saw it was what, maybe 1952?"

"Sounds about right. Dumbledore was killed in the early 1950s and that's probably when Sirius Black took the painting there. Bellatrix killed him soon after. I'm sure she trashed the place looking for it but the fact that Riddle is alive means she never found out how to overthrow him. I doubt she had any real loyalty, she was just trying to get the prize for herself. Although that psychopath gladly would have spent a millennium just murdering for fun."

"You seem to know her," Harry asked

"I did."

Back in the Aston Martin, the drive started with a blanket of silence. Draco decided to break it

"Penny for your thoughts."

She sighed, then mustered the courage to say

"I thought you hated me."

"You are talking about Stonehenge."

"Yes. I know that you saved my life that day, but then you seemed furious when I killed her. You screamed and threw things around, I thought for a moment that you were going to attack me."

He took a deep breath before answering.

"Bellatrix was my aunt. My mother's sister. And she was always crazy. She felt a pull in the house but she was back then unable to pinpoint it to me because I was too young. She murdered my father thinking it was him, then my mother, I don't know really why. I walked into the drawing room where she was shaking my mother's body, trying to get something from it. Those may have been her first two murders, but she killed the wrong people. The pull she felt came from me. When I saw her there I launched myself on her. My fury was such that my power was visible on my dagger. It looked like I was holding a green thunderbolt in my hand. She panicked and run, jumping through a window. It was a big fall and I run down the stairs to make sure to finish her but she was gone. Pansy and I had been married for a couple of years then. She helped me arrange the funerals, even though we were both little more than children then. We became the Duke and Duchess when we were barely fourteen. We had a couple of years of peace but then the Death Eaters came for me. I didn't know who they were at the time, and lots of people back then could be interested in the demise of a young Duke. Then one day Pansy was gone. She left a letter explaining that she thought she would not be able to give me children and that to honor the wishes of my late father I should remarry and produce heirs. I was devastated, we may have been an arranged marriage, but she was my only family. I sent parties to search for her and found her ten years later at the convent. She agreed to sneak out to talk to me and then she finally told me what happened with Grindelwald. I beg her to come back but she said she had found some peace in the holy ground so I didn't want to steal that from her. So I let her go. The years went by and then finally I tracked Bellatrix to the outskirts of Stonehedge. I knew she was hunting someone so I waited. You know the rest. When you killed her I was furious because I thought it was my right to do it. She took my family away from me and I had no reason to live except to kill her."

He looked at Hermione with a soft expression before continuing

"But then I had to find a new reason to live this long life. I built a chapel and a library in the grounds of the manor and offered them for multidenominational worship and multicultural religious studies. As soon as the first consecration happened I felt the peace. At least when I'm home I'm safe. You may have given me a new beginning without knowing it."


	7. Chapter 7

"Ron, mate, we will be at Grimmauld place in 20 minutes,"

"Alright. See you soon."

Harry hang the phone and looked at Pansy, who was giving him a questioning look.

"What?"

"You are not going to tell your friend why he needs to meet us at Grimmauld place? There may be Death Eaters there, you know?"

Harry shrugged

"We used to fight Vikings together. We would spend days hanging on the villages by the sea, drinking and, well,"

"Whoring, I guess is the word you are looking for?"

"Sort of, yes. The point is, we may have been asleep or sloshed when the attacks came, and we were always ready to go. So he is used to anything when it comes to hanging out with me. And I assume he knows visiting the house of an immortal might imply some risks."

Pansy chuckled. Men. They really do not talk. Then she looked at him, trying to imagine it. He was very clean cut now, except for the sexy messy hairstyle he seemed to be fond of, but back then he was probably rugged, with long hair and a rough attitude. She imagined herself as a small village woman, being taken by that version of Harry on the haystacks of a barn. Damn, that was hot. She wondered if would fantasize about her when she got her answer

"So," he said as casual as he could, "you and Hermione, do you guys really, you know..."

"Have seen each other's nipples? Yes, Potter, we have. Try living in an isolated community for years at the time and you will find yourself very attached to your best friend." Then she arched an eyebrow "and don't give me that look, neither of us was ever ordained, we were just wards of the communities. We were free to leave, to marry or to...choose what to do. And get your head out of the gutter. The offer for a threesome was last night, today is another day and she already said no. Unless you want to pursue her alone, in which case, be my guest," she said, crossing her arms, unable to control her obvious jealousy. Last night when she made the salacious offer she meant it. Or he could have picked Hermione and she would have been fine with it. But today things looked different. Today she didn't want to let go of him.

Harry rushed to answer, though he was flattered by her jealousy

"That's not what I want, I just…"

"Wanted an image to wank off to?"

 _Man, she is good_ , he thought but said nothing, although his smirk spoke for him.

They arrived at Grimmauld place a bit later and Pansy saw a tall, redheaded man with long hair held on a man bun and a nicely trimmed beard sitting on a motorcycle, obviously waiting.

 _Hot. That must be him,_ she thought. Before she could ask Harry pointed.

"That's Ron. Let's get ready to go in," he said, parking and patting his hip.

 _Blade,_ she thought and instinctively checked the shaft of her own boot, where she had her dagger, chastising herself for not noticing that he was armed.

They got off the car and when they reached Ron, Harry pulled him on a man hug but said

"Let's go in and make sure the coast is clear, we will do introductions when we know is safe," and they all walked to the house entrance, followed by Hermione and Draco.

Harry smiled when he felt the key under the leaves in the potted plant and quickly opened the door. They walked in and closed the door, and they all immediately pulled out their blades.

"Sexy!" said both Ron and Draco at the same time. Hermione had pulled her silver dagger from her hairpin and Pansy slipped a similar one from her boot. The women glared at them and shush them, but the men exchanged complicit looks and held back snorts.

They walked carefully towards the drawing room when Draco shouted

"Dunk!"

They all did and saw his knife flying, crackling with the green power and hitting something in the shadows. The light illuminated the figure of a man for a second before it fell forward, the blow of dry bones spreading on the ground making them wince. When immortals are hit by a curse, especially one as powerful as the one Draco conjured, the bodies dry up quickly, reduced to what they would have been by now if their human time to die would have been normal. They have all seen it many times but is not a sight you get used to.

They all quickly spread up and made sure no one else was in the house. They regrouped in the drawing room.

"I think we're clear," said Harry. They all nodded. None of them felt any pulls beside each other.

Draco stepped forward and offered his hand to Ron

"Draco Malfoy," he said politely.

"The Duke of Wiltshire? Didn't we?" he said looking at Harry, who snorted and nodded.

"You refused my offer of employment in a very...theatrical way," Draco said, eyebrow lifted.

Ron cracked up laughing, holding onto Harry's shoulder

"Mate those were the good times. These days you cannot pull off that shit."

The women rolled their eyes and Pansy said

"Alright, that is enough, Red. My name is Pansy Parkinson and this is Hermione Granger. And we are here on a mission, so let's save the anecdotes for another time."

"Ah, feisty, that's hot, I like her," he said looking at Harry, who gave him a glare. He turned to Draco but he was glaring too. Ron shrugged, making a gesture of zipping his mouth closed.

"Basement is this way," said Harry, and they all followed.

'What are we looking for?" Asked Ron.

Hermione gave him a top speed explanation while they descended the stairs and turned on a light. Much like the rest of the house, the place was trashed.

"I don't think is here," said Draco, but Hermione started calling

"Dumbledore? Albus Dumbledore? Are you here? Hello?

"Down here," they heard a muffled sound from under a pile of rubbish.

They all rushed to it, clearing pieces of debris until Hermione saw a canvas barely held by a broken frame

"I think this is the one," she said, though the canvas appeared empty. It was a painting of a room and there was a door in it. They held up the painting and Hermione called again

"Dumbledore? Are you in there?"

The door opened and handsome man with dark blonde hair and a neatly trimmed beard walked towards them, standing close to the frame, so he looked like he was looking through a window.

"Clever fella," said Harry.

A/N: since in this story the characters get frozen in time at a young age, the Dumbledore I envision is the Jude Law look-a-like, or as some of us call him, Yumbledore.


	8. Chapter 8

"You found me. Clever girl" said the handsome man in the picture.

"Back at you," answered Hermione. You really thought this through, Dumbledore."

The man in the painting grinned

"Most immortals commision their paintings out of fear of the unknown. I was not fond of the idea either but most importantly, I needed to make sure the information I collected didn't disappear with me. I needed a place to hide, sort to speak. I have hinted to Sirius of what I was to do and he did well getting me out of my house. I only had time to pass the information to him before Bellatrix found us. I regret putting him in danger as I did. But I'm glad at least now you will know the truth and maybe will be able to break the curse for all of us, so we can finally rest. Maybe you should all take a seat."

They moved the painting to the drawing room and sat around the frame that was leaned on a chair.

"About 1500 years ago there was an immortal woman, Morgana. I don't know much about her origins, but my guess is some of us are born with the ability to conjure powers in a way other humans can't, and that power can be used to stretch one's life. Morgana was about 300 years old when she met and fell in love with a man named Thomas."

"Thomas the Riddle," observed Harry.

"Yes. When Morgana fell in love with him she feared to lose him to death, so she confessed her immortality and tried to create a ritual to share her power with him. A blood ritual. But fate had its own plans. Riddle was an immortal himself, probably one of the reasons why Morgana was so driven to him. When they performed the ritual she cut herself and shared her blood with him and he felt her power fill him. Being the ambitious man he is, he immediately thought if a few drops of blood were so powerful, her life force would make him the strongest man alive. He murdered her right there. And his trick worked. She was gone and he was even more powerful. The years passed and he encountered other immortals, felt the pull to them and he murdered them, feeling his strength grow."

"How do you know all this?" asked Pansy

Dumbledore took a deep breath

"Tom Riddle is both smart and vain. He wrote his own story in a diary that he carries everywhere. About five hundred years ago we crossed paths and he befriended me. Little did I know that by then he was already constructing his convoluted plan: if he was more powerful as he defeated more immortals, then defeating those who had already killed others before would mean more power for him on one strike. He was charismatic and personable, a true sociopath. He planned to befriend immortals, turn them into killers, send them hunting and then kill them himself before they could overpower him. He was the one to start calling mortality _the prize,_ to entice followers. I must confess I was enthralled by him, so I was desperate to read that diary that he so zealously guarded. I got him very drunk one night and when he fell asleep I took the diary. I was horrified by what I read. I thought about stealing it but then he would hunt me, so I simply left."

"What about the increase in the number of immortals? What caused that?" asked Hermione

"Riddle has done many things by trial and error to ensure his own immortality. One of them turned out to be very good for him. He hid a vial of his own blood in a secret place. Buried in the ground. Years after that one of his associates cut his throat in his sleep. He woke up in pain and fear but he did not die. That's how he knew the trick had worked. As long as some of his blood was safe, he would be safe. I think there is more than one, he probably made sure to have spares just in case."

"Four," said Hermione. "There are four places in Europe where there are more immortals born than anywhere else. We think it has something to do with the four cardinal points."

Dumbledore looked like he was trying to remember something

"There was a drawing. On the leather cover of his diary. It was a Compass Rose. I think you are right."

"So when he buried the vials of his blood he actually cursed the land. That's how more immortals were awakened. And by burying them in all four points he turned Europe into a place of stale existence. That is probably the reason why you are trapped in that frame, Dumbledore. He really fucked us up," said Draco.

Dumbledore assented

"I think immortals in a natural state cannot be killed by mere mortals but could die, really die at the hands of other immortals. Those of us trapped in this limbo are here because the land is cursed. Riddles' desire to hold on to immortality has bound us all to it. I believe if the vials of blood are destroyed then we won't be bound to the land anymore. My hope is that we will be set free."

"And what about us, Dumbledore? If we manage to destroy the vials and kill Riddle, do we still need to be killed by another immortal? When does it end for us?" said Hermione

"That you are going to have to pursue on your own, my dear girl. But I'll tell you what I know: I think Morgana is the key to the whole thing. Find what you can about her. She was a sorceress, she created the ritual to pass her power to Riddle. If there is a way out of immortality she may have been the one to know it."

They all look at each other, exhaustion in their faces. They had a long way to go.

"Alright, time to get out of here," said Draco. The Death Eater that was waiting for us was a newbie, but that doesn't mean we won't get unlucky and get a seasoned one here if we stay. I say we go to my manor. It is on consecrated land, we can all be together there and still be safe while we plan what to do. Plus you all look like you could use some food."

"Oh, you're right on that one, Your Majesty. I'm starving," said Ron

Draco rolled his eyes

"Figures." He turned to the painting. "Dumbledore, we will take you with us, at least at my place you can walk the whole frame and not be hiding all the time." Then he turned back to Ron "and is Your Grace, not Your Majesty. I'm a Duke, not a king." He grabbed the painting and walked out of the room.

"Wow," said Ron, watching him go. "If I was into blokes I would totally fuck him."

They walked out and Pansy looked at Ron's motorcycle.

"BMW Heritage. Nice."

"Want a lift, love?" asked Ron, smiling wide. Harry felt his ears burn.

"I want to ride it," she said, extending her hand palm up for the keys.

Ron looked disconcerted

"You sure you know what you are doing?"

Pansy rolled her eyes

"Relax, Red. If I break it I'll buy you a new one."

He laughed and threw her the keys. She climbed and grabbed the helmet, then said with a malicious smile

"See you all at the manor."

She covered her head and easily started and maneuvered the bike to the road and just like that she was gone, the sound of the speeding machine quickly fading.

"Fucking hot," said Ron.

Harry grabbed his arm roughly

"Come on, dickwit, get in the car."

"How about you keep His Grace company and I drive your car so I can get to know this other lovely lady?"

"Whatever," said Hermione lifting her arms and getting in the passenger seat of the Porsche. The truth was she felt flattered and decided to go with it.

Harry growled and gave him the keys, then walked to the Aston Martin, while Draco looked at the scene, incredulous

"What the fuck just happened?"


	9. Chapter 9

The two men got in the car, both of them obviously ruffled. Draco drove out fast, Ron hot on his tail.

"He's not gonna try anything inappropriate with her, right?" he asked, eyes fixed on the road, his voice dripping of jealousy.

"Nothing that she would not allow. Ron is a blunt guy but in all our years of friendship, I've never seen him put his hands on a woman if she has not put his hands on him first. And he likes women that are as blunt as he is."

"Hence you jealousy around Pansy," said the blonde with a smirk.

Harry did not answer and turned his face away, pretending to look at the scenery. After a few minutes, he looked at Draco again, obviously trying to form words.

"Ask away, Potter. I can see you are itching to know something."

"You are...young. For an immortal. How did you manage to become so powerful in such a short life? The power of the curse on that knife throw was like something I could conjure, or maybe Ron could. It's… unusual. "

Draco sighed

"My first kill was a hitman sent by Bellatrix. I assume after our first confrontation she thought herself not ready to defeat me, so she told another immortal about me. A very powerful one, indeed. It still surprises me that I was able to take him down.

"Why do you reckon the man didn't kill her first? Back then she must have been easy prey for him."

Draco smirked but there was anger in his eyes

"Bellatrix was a beautiful woman. She probably used that to hide in the shadows of more powerful immortals to gain experience. They likely enjoyed having her around, as long as she was not considered powerful enough she was entertainment. She was always...deviant. I can imagine her providing whatever sick pleasures the men would want."

Harry nodded. Sirius Black had mentioned an insane cousin a couple of times, and though he never went into detail, he did say things that agreed with the story that Draco was relating now. The stories were so dark Harry always assumed the cousin was a man. He asked

"Who was the man that attacked you? And how did you manage to overpower him?"

"HIs mistake was to taunt me. The arrogant fool actually introduced himself. He said his name was Salazar Slytherin, and that he brought greetings from my aunt. That's when I lost my temper and pulled a lot of power towards my sword. He put out a fight but in the end, I had the strongest motivation. When he fell, the wave of power that filled me up was stronger than any I have ever felt."

Harry sat silent for a few minutes, then wondered

"The Death Eaters seem to be...not exactly the friendly type. Why would they risk forming clans? Anyone of them can try to murder their companions at any time."

"I think the Death Eaters raise each other like pigs for slaughter, just as Riddle himself does," offered Draco. "Once they are powerful enough if they sense a lesser immortal is willing to follow they allow them to keep company and send them to do easier kills until they accumulate more power. Then they turn on them. I think they do it for some sort of sick excitement, competing with each other. Knowing my aunt that sounds like something she would do. She was a cruel woman and she craved a thrill. And not knowing if your bedmate will murder you after a night of wild sex sounds exactly like the kind of thing she would enjoy."

They drove for a while and Draco looked in the rearview mirror. Hermione was laughing sweetly at whatever the redhead was saying. The Duke shook his head and held the steering wheel tight, knuckles whitening. Harry noticed and looked behind. He saw the scene and chuckled.

"You like her."

Draco didn't answer, just kept his eyes on the road.

Harry looked again between the car behind them and Draco

"Is more than liking. You are pulled toward her."

"I felt it back in Stonehenge, but that time my head was somewhere else. Then I definitely felt it today on the drive to London. She is beautiful but is more than that. Is like…"

"As if you can only breath if she is around," answered Harry, feeling a hole in his chest. He desperately needed to get to where Pansy was. It was a maddening sensation. The hole felt smaller when they pulled onto the driveway of the manor. The motorcycle was parked outside. They parked and got off the cars. Hermione was still laughing when she walked towards them.

"Your friend is a riot, Harry," she said, tapping at the corners of her eyes, tears from laughter.

Draco took a deep breath and offered his arm to her

"I'm sure Pansy found her way around already. Let's go meet her."

They all walked into the house and soon they were following a burst of sweet laughter. Harry felt his heartbeat sped up in excitement. The sound was a siren song to him.

"I see you are taking good care of our guest, Madam Pomfrey," said Draco to a plump woman that was pouring food excitedly on Pansy's plate. She was sitting at the long table in the beautiful kitchen.

"Of course, your grace, you know I always take good care of you and your little friends," she said, walking by and pinching his cheek.

He rolled his eyes but smiled. He loved the old woman. It was like having a surrogate mother.

"Madam Pomfrey, these are Hermione, Harry, and Ronald. And we are all starving."

"Oh I love an impromptu party," the older woman said excitedly, "you know I always cook way too much. Come, sit, my dears, there is plenty for everyone."

They all greeted the excited caretaker and enjoyed the delicious food. Draco opened a bottle of wine and after they were all done he stood up and kissed the old woman's forehead.

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey. I assume the guest wing is set up?"

"It always is, dear. You know I worry that you spend so much time alone. A big party like this is a much welcome change."

Draco smiled and signal for them to follow him.

"Wow, you actually have kept the place exactly as it was," said Pansy, a chill running down her spine at the memories.

"Indeed. You can have your old room, darling," he said pointing to the end of the hallway.

Ron gave Hermione a questioning look

"They used to be married. Arranged," she said simply.

Pansy squealed excitedly when she recognized the door and quickly pulled Harry in with her and slammed it shot. The others stood there, stunned for a second, then they all laughed.

"You know, there was no divorce back then. So technically that's my wife in there."


	10. Chapter 10

"Really nice place you have here. Family estate?" asked Ron, walking into Draco's luxurious office and taking a seat in front of the desk.

"Yes. I was an only child so no other heirs. Been here all my life."

"I thought about buying the old Weasley estate in Ireland. My father used to call it The Burrow. I like to ride around the land sometimes. Sentimental value."

"Charming. Big family?"

"Yes. seven siblings, two immortals," he said getting too comfortable where he sat

"Do you mind?" Draco asked eyebrow lifted looking at the boots on his mahogany desk.

"Sorry," said Ron with a smirk, putting his feet down and obviously not sorry. "Been a while since I was in a castle."

"Clearly," said Draco but they got interrupted by a fast-paced clicking of heels.

"Good, you are here. Let's get down to business before you pull another disappearing act on me," said a gorgeous woman with long silky black hair that was wrapped in a tight business suit. She ignored Ron and walked around the desk and firmly put a tablet in front of Draco.

"There are three land contracts pending. Fucking read them and make sure they are all signed before nightfall. You know I hate paying penalties, even if it is your fucking money. It makes me look bad when people think I don't know how to do my job."

Draco kept his eyes on the screen and said

"Parvati Patil, this is Ronald Weasley, a new associate."

The woman turned to Ron and looked at him from head to tow, obviously measuring him. This man, with his long hair, t-shirt wrapped muscles and jeans didn't exactly look like someone that casually hangs out with a Duke. Ron gave her a side smile

"Nice to meet you, Parvati. Nice suit."

The woman turned to Draco, a look of exasperation in her face

"What kind of associate is he? Do I need to draw a contract for him? Don't you go around pulling off shit that needs to be fixed later, Malfoy. You know I have no problem billing you until your vaults are dry."

"Don't worry about it. This is not related to the Estates or any of the companies. You won't hear his name again."

"Unless you want to moan it, darling," said the redhead with a grin.

She huffed and left the room as fast as she could manage on heels. Ron watch her go.

"Is she your shag?"

Draco didn't lift his eyes from the screen

"No fucking way. I'm terrified of her. She's the best corporate lawyer in the country. I need her on my side."

Ron chuckled and stood up

"I'll leave you to it then. We don't want Miss Patil charging you some hefty fees."

"No, we don't," answered the blonde, eyes still on the screen. He heard Ron say from the door

"I wouldn't mind getting in trouble with her. Maybe I can beg her for a plea deal," and he closed the door behind him.

"Fucker," said Draco, chuckling.

A few hours later Hermione woke up from a nap. It was already night time. She didn't feel like dinner but she could use a bite or maybe some milk. She was sure Draco wouldn't mind her grabbing something from the kitchen. And Madam Pomfrey would probably be thrilled if she found her there. She went into the private bathroom and saw that there were brand new men and women's robes hanging there, next to a pile of fluffy towels. The place was like a luxury hotel. She took a quick shower and wrapped herself on the robe, put on the matching fluffy slippers and head out. She sneaked her head out the door, there was no one on the hallway. She decided that going out wearing only the robe was not a bad idea, no one will probably see her. When she closed the door she stopped for a minute to listen to an odd knocking sound. After a few seconds, she held her breath. It was obviously the sound of a headboard rhythmically hitting a wall. A distant "yes, Harry, yes, harder" made her cover her mouth to muffle her laughter. Those two were not going anywhere.

She tiptoed out of the hallway and tried to remember where the kitchen was. The manor was huge and soon she took a wrong turn and was trying to find her way back when an unexpected scene made her stop on her tracks. She was on a corridor balcony where she could look down to a huge ballroom. There, in the middle of the room was a table where Ron was leaning down, naked, eating up a woman with long black hair that was spread with her legs on his shoulders, moaning in pleasure. He had one hand on her breast, the other down probably fondling himself. It was like a train wreck and Hermione wanted to stop looking but she was glued to the spot. After a few long minutes of the unplanned voyeur session, a voice in her ear made her jump

"She's my lawyer. I guess she likes them rough around the edges."

Hermione turned, wide-eyed and beet red and found Draco, wrapped in a robe similar to hers, and giving her a complicit smile. She tried to make up an excuse for her peeping behavior but couldn't come up with anything. He examined her, running his eyes up and down her figure. It was obvious that she was not wearing anything underneath the robe.

"Shall we leave them to their fun? I assume you didn't come this way looking for a show."

"I, I was looking for the kitchen, to have some milk," she said looking down like a kid that got caught in mischief. Draco thought she was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. He hoped in her shame she didn't notice his arousal, product of the mix of the unexpected exhibition and the fact that they were both obviously recently showered and wearing only robes.

"I was going there myself. Come, a good girl like you should stay away from the naughty children," he said offering his arm.

She smiled and took it. She definitely needed some warm milk. Between the headboard on the wall sounds, the peep show and the Duke of Wiltshire wrapped in a robe like a Christmas present it will be a miracle if she could get any sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione oped her eyes blinking slowly. It took her a minute to place herself. The luxurious room was only vaguely familiar. And though she was very comfortable, her head was definitely not on a pillow. The masculine scent filled her nostrils and she smiled. She was nested on the arms of the Duke of Wiltshire. The images of last night came back on a flood.

"Warm milk, with a twist," he had said, smiling and placing a mug on the kitchen table in front of her.

"Thank you, your Grace, she had answered, feeling way more daring than her usual demure self. She smelled hints of something sweet, like caramel or vanilla and raisins, and...alcohol? She looked at him, a questioning but flirtatious look on her face

"Brandy. From my cellars. The best in Europe. If that doesn't make you sleepy you are in trouble."

She took a long sip of the delicious concoction and let it warm her up. It was very relaxing, but it didn't help with her current state of arousal. She opened her eyes and he was looking at her intently from across the table

"I am pulled towards you," he admitted. "Is like nothing I have ever felt. I know kinship, but this is not it. This is different, is more like…"

'Longing?" she asked

"Longing," he confirmed. She stood up and walked around the table to him

"Yearning?"

"Yes, yearning," he said, pushing back his chair to let her come close

"Desire?" she asked, standing in front of him,

"Desire, definitely," he said pulling to undo the tie of her robe and sliding his hands around her naked waist to pull her closer to straddle him. The kiss was deep, intense, and they both felt a crackling that could only be magic, a channeling of their power into their union. He kissed and licked her jawline, neck, collarbone, and breasts thoroughly before standing up to deposit her on the table, then kissing his way down her belly to reach her core. She arched herself in pleasure, entranced by the view of his grey eyes looking at her lustfully from down there. She surrendered to the intense feeling and her reward came in wave after wave of ecstasy. When she came down from her high he kissed his way back up to her mouth, then closed and tied her robe back before lifting her in his arms.

"Let's take this to the bedroom before Mrs. Pomfrey decides she wants a midnight snack and we give her a heart attack," he said kissing her temple.

She chuckled, leaning her head on his shoulder and holding onto his neck, feeling elated. When they got to the bedroom he deposited her on the bed and proceeded to make love to her in every possible way, a night like neither of them have had in their long lives.

"That's a smile I want to wake up to," he said, bringing her back to the present moment.

She lifted her eyes and found stormy grey looking at her with something that can only be described as adoration.

"Good morning, Your Grace."

"You use the title to mock me, don't you?"

"A little. It's kind of sexy, though. Makes me feel like I have to do as you command."

He lifted her up on top of him on a swift move

"I think I like that very much," he said, pulling her down for a kiss.

A couple of hours later after another round on the bed and a very eventful shower together they finally made it out of the room.

"Good!" they turned around at the sound of Pansy's voice "it only took you two about seventy years to fuck that out of your systems. I guess that's not bad for immortals."

Harry chuckled at her quip while the other two rolled their eyes and they all exchanged morning greetings. Pansy grabbed Hermione and pulled her to walk with her in front, whispering questions in her ear. The two women walked holding hands, giggling and sharing confidences. The two men exchanged complicit looks, both obviously turned on by the female interactions. It was obvious that they were comfortable touching each other's bodies, and that would be a sight.

When they got downstairs they stopped at the threshold of the kitchen. Ron was sitting at the table, Parvati standing next to him, holding him by the hair while she gave him a lascivious kiss. When she was done she simply let go of him and walked away without saying a word. She only stopped in front of Draco, looked at the newcomers and said

"Let me know if you will be needing any contracts. This sudden influx of associates is not ideal for business. Makes it hard for me to keep track of your fuck ups. I'll be in my office in London." And with that, she kept walking.

"Who's the sweetheart?" asked Pansy, taking a seat on the table.

Ron tilted his head to watch the lawyer go, following the movement of her hips on the tight pencil skirt.

"She's actually quite delightful, once you crack the bitch shell."

"So you shattered her open with your big man hammer?" Pansy countered cynically.

"I did," he said raising his coffee mug in a toast. "And I found an endless well of sweetness inside." the others answered with snorts.

Ron shook himself from the sex daydream, looked at the couples and said

"Well, since we are all obviously well rested and thoroughly fucked to satisfaction what's the plan?"

"I think we need to go looking for the vials," said Hermione but she stopped herself when Madam Pomfrey made her cheery way into the kitchen.

"Good morning everyone!" the old lady chirped. "There's coffee, tea, eggs, muffins, crumpets, sausages…" she said pointing at the different pots and pans on the huge stove.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," replied Draco, "if you don't mind we have some business to discuss, so we will help ourselves."

"Of course, dear," she said happily and walked out towards another wing of the house. The woman was a treasure.

"I think we need to find the vials and destroy them," Hermione continued. "Hopefully, we can handle them as if we were fighting an immortal, cracking them with a cursed blade. I guess the difficulty will be in conjuring the power only to break an object, is different than conjuring when being attacked."

"I have done it," said Pansy, Draco, and Ron at the same time.

"I think I got the ability to conjure the power on its own from Grindelwald", said Pansy, "he had likely thought about it, maybe he knew Riddle's secret and had planned on striking him."

"I learned it from the Samurai," offered Ron. "I spent the early 1800s in Japan and the immortals there believed in charging the swords with the power of their own. I always thought it was overkilled. Turns out it was a useful skill I guess."

"I just can," Draco said plainly.

"Alright then," said Hermione. "There are four areas we need to explore. Scotland, Norway, France, and Albania. Any ideas on how to narrow that down?"

"What do we know about Riddle? Maybe we can get some clues if we can figure out his mind" Harry ventured. "I met him for the first time in Ireland but I don't think he is from there. I think he is a Scot."

"Dumbledore might be able to help," said Draco. "Let's finish breakfast and we find out what else he knows."

They did so. Draco had ordered the painting reframed by his carpenter as soon as they arrived at the manor and it was now on a private drawing room, hanging on a wall facing floor to ceiling windows. When they entered the room the man in the painting seemed to be contentedly looking at the landscape.


	12. Chapter 12

"Good morning, Dumbledore."

"Ah, hello there, Mr. Malfoy. I must say, I greatly appreciate the reframing and the relocation. It does make a difference to have a view."

"Well, hopefully, we can do more than that by solving this puzzle. We have some more questions for you."

"Ask away, then."

"We are trying to piece together as much information as we can about Riddle so we can narrow down the search for the blood vials," related Harry. "For what I remember Riddle had the ways of a Scot. Is that correct?"

"Not quite. He was an Irishman, but he did spend a bit of time in Scotland. That's where he met Morgana. She was the mistress of Hogwarts Castle in the north, close to Loch Ness."

They all looked at each other and said in unison

"Hogwarts."

"Riddle may have learned the ways of the Scots there," said Dumbledore. "He seemed to avoid talking about his origins, he may have tried to pass himself as a Scottish lord using the wealth and presents that Morgana put at his disposal. She may have wanted to believe any lies he told her as long as he stayed with her, and he wanted to be with her, first for the power that came with her wealth and then for the power that came from her magic."

"The castle is not there anymore, is it?" asked Hermione.

"Only the ruins remain," confirmed Dumbledore.

"Still, it may be a good place to start. If that is the place where Riddle learned about his power he may consider it special enough to hide his blood there," offered Harry. They all assented.

"What about the other countries? Can you think of places that riddle could have considered special in Norway, France or Albania?" Pansy asked the portrait.

"Riddle is a vain man. He will go for places of high significance if possible, places are known for a history of magic or extraordinary power associated with them, even if most people think those stories are just legend," answer the man in the frame.

They all sat to think for a while, each one trying to come up with lists of possible sites. Hermione suddenly snapped out of her deliberation

"Durmstrang!"

"What?" the others asked.

"There's a place with an old castle in Norway called Durmstrang. Viktor took me there once, he called it a place of replenishment. When we got there the power of the place was undeniable. We only stayed there for a while though, fearing his enemies may show up to fortify themselves. Igor Karkaroff had taken him there once, to help him grow his power. Back then Viktor thought that Karkaroff was a mentor. But he was just raising him for slaughter. That's probably when Viktor got suspicious and deserted him."

"All right then. We have two places to start, Hogwarts and Durmstrang. Any other ideas? Asked Draco, then he turned towards Pansy and Hermione. "You two are French and you were companions there. Is there any place that called your presence a lot?"

The girls looked at each other and Pansy talked

"We always wanted to go to a convent in the South, close to Montpellier. But we never did because Bellatrix would wander those lands frequently for some reason."

"She may have been a steward for Riddle's blood, keeping watch on it."

"Then it is likely that there is a replacement steward there. One option is to explore the region and let ourselves feel the pull of an immortal there. If it is a powerful one the presence would be very obvious," said Draco.

"Alright then, said Ron. We can start by scouting the known locations. Hermione can find Durmstrang," he said looking at her.

"Not alone!" interceded Draco, a bit too sharp.

"I'm not saying alone, but we also shouldn't hit the road all together like we are some sort of rock band, the combined power would be too obvious and would make us a target."

"In pairs then," said Draco. Besides the safety issue, there is also the fact that the plan only works if one of us capable of conjure power over an object is there to destroy the vial. I'll go with Hermione to Norway."

"Fine. I can find my way to Hogwarts, said Ron."

"You're not going alone," said Harry.

"I'll be fine," assured the redhead. And I can destroy the vial if I find it."

Harry took a deep breath. Ron was very important to him, but he was a powerful immortal and could likely manage most opponents on his own.

"Fine," he said, then looked at Pansy. "Shall we go to France?"

"Sure, I know the south pretty well, we can drive the region between Lyon and Montpellier. That's where Hermione and I always felt the need to go."

"I guess that's settled then," said Draco. "I'll make the arrangements for private flights to Norway, Edinburgh, and Lyon."

Ron gave him a dismissive hand wave

"I don't fly if I can help it. Just hate it. I can be in Scotland in four hours and the ride would help me clear my mind and focus."

Harry shrugged

"He does ride like a maniac."

"Suit yourself. There is a gas pump in my garage, and take whatever else you need."

Draco spent some time in his private office making phone calls to arrange flights and transportation once they got to the continent. In the meantime, Ron had already hit the road, hoping to get to Scotland with plenty of daylight to explore the ruins of Hogwarts castle.

"We're all set," said Draco when the two remaining couples regrouped at the entrance to the manor. "You can follow me to the airport, it's a small private hub close to Marlborough. There will be two planes waiting there, then you will have a car at your disposal as soon as you land in Lyon."

The two women hug tightly, kissing and begging each other to be safe. Draco offered his hand to Harry.

"Take care of her, please."

"I will. You watch over Hermione."

They all said their goodbyes and agreed on staying in contact at least every four hours. With some luck, no one will know about their intentions until they reached their destinations.

When they were in the air Pansy was looking through the window, lost in thought. Harry reached and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to lean on him.

"Anything you want to share?" he asked.

"Just thinking. Of the possibilities. And the impossibilities. We cannot know if we will succeed, and if we do, we cannot know what would really happen to us then. The moment we destroy the vials we may turn into dust. I never minded that before, I've lived long enough. All and all it's been a good life. But now for the first time in years, I feel like I don't want it all to end just yet."

"You want one last hurrah," he said, smiling sweetly. "The one to imagine what life could have been if we were just mere mortals. To live and to love like there is no tomorrow." He cupped her face and leaned in to spoke with his lips brushing hers "then every moment we have from now on we should live as if it was the last one."


	13. Chapter 13

Hours later Ron arrived at the area where the ruins of Hogwarts castle were. He did a fast round and felt an unmistakable pull. He parked the motorcycle and quickly opened the compartment under his seat and pulled two pieces of a long blade and assembled it. It was a full-length _Daito_ katana sword. Then he pulled out a half-length sword, a _shoto_ katana. When he had trained in Japan with the last of the samurais he had learned to love the feeling of having one sword in each hand. He took a deep breath and walked decisively inside the ruins.

"Hey, Vince. We have a visitor," said a sarcastic male voice.

"Good. I was starting to get bored," answered another one, obviously chewing on some food as he spoke."

 _Fuck,_ thought Ron. _There is two of them here._ He took a deep breath, round his shoulders and then crisscross the swords a couple of times to ready himself. The first hit came from behind.

Across the channel in France, Harry was driving the silver Venturi Fetish that Draco had ordered to wait for them at the airport in Lyon. they were speeding down a country road when he froze. An imminent sense of danger and loss filled him up and he seemed to be paralyzed on the wheel. Pansy yelled

"Harry! Harry pull over!"

He looked at her wide-eyed and maneuvered the sports car onto the side of the road. The fear in his face was evident

"What is it?"

"It's Ron."

"Is he alive? Can you feel him?"

"I think so."

"Get out of the car," she commanded. They moved quickly to the open and she grabbed him by the arms

"Listen to me. Think of him. Focus all your power on him. Then will it to find him and release it. You can do this."

Harry closed his eyes and clenched his fists, concentrating on the feeling of his friend's pull. A visible energy field seemed to be crackling out of him and in what felt like an explosion he opened his arms and yelled, a huge wave of green light pouring out of his body, sending Pansy to the ground and lightening up towards the sky.

Back in Scotland, Ron was getting to a point of exhaustion. One of the men was as tall as him, with a long arm reach, the other was shorter and stocky but quite strong. The fight was long and messy and the shorter man scored a deep cut in his right arm, making Ron drop the long sword for a bit and leaving his side open for a second. The tall man went for his neck but Ron ducked and threw the short sword with amazing precision, hitting the man square in the chest and reducing him to a pile of dry bones that cracked as they fell on the ground.

"Greg," yelled the short stocky man and he charged against Ron, who was now unarmed. At that moment a stroke of green lightning hit Ron, who gave a terrifying war cry, and the wave of power sent the man flying back. Ron grabbed both of his swords and stood up, his body still crackling, and in one incredibly fast move crossed his swords on his enemy's body. All that was left was dust, carried away by the Scottish wind.

Meanwhile, in the French countryside, Harry was crawling towards Pansy, who was shaking herself after hitting the ground hard.

"Are you ok?" he asked nervously, lifting her to lean on his lap.

"I'm fine, but that was quite an exhibition of power, Harry."

At that moment Harry's phone rang. He saw the name on the screen and answered anxiously

"Ron?"

"I'm alright were two Death Eaters here. I thought I was a goner, but then something happened. I felt...you, somehow."

Harry laughed with relief.

"It was me. I will explain later but now you need to rush before the send more. Can you feel a pull, something that may tell you if the vial is there?"

"There is definitely something here. I'll call you right back."

Harry hang up, then offered his hand to help Pansy stand up. He pulled her into his arms and hug her tightly.

"Thank you. I didn't know I could do that. Or maybe I did?" he said, looking at her, comprehension dawning on him. "I think we may have done it in the past, me and Ron. But back then it happened when we were closed to each other, in the heat of battle. Maybe back then by looking up for each other on the battlefield, we may have been combining our power without knowing. How did you figure it out?"

She shrugged.

"Instinct. I recognized the fear in your eyes when you felt that he was in danger. It happened to me years ago, the day Hermione was cornered by Bellatrix outside of Stonehenge. I was still here in France, we had been apart for a while, first when she was with Viktor and then when she moved to England to hide from the pain of his loss. That day I felt like the ground sank beneath me and I had a maddening need to be with her. I was alone when it happened, and I think I blaked out for a second. As soon as I could I gathered my things and went looking for her. I found her and we stayed close to each other again since then. She said she couldn't explain how she took Bellatrix down. Somehow her power seemed to multiply when everything seemed lost. I guess now we know for sure."

At that same moment, Ron was scouting the ruins, making sure no one else was there. Then he found the center of the castle and closed his eyes. Something evil was there and he let the pull guide him. It was on what should have been an inner courtyard. A thick layer of shrubbery was covering the place where the pull was strong. He cut through it with his sword and pulled out as much as he could, then stood in awe. There was a stone marker on the ground with lettering on it. The first word was a name. _Morgen._ He was able to make up enough of the Gaelic words to assure this was Morgana's tombstone. He took a picture with his phone, then went down on one knee and closed his eyes again. He took a deep breath and raised his sword, charging it with power. He stabbed the ground hard and a wave of power was sent through the land. When he opened his eyes he saw that the power had dug a hole and the tip of the sword was set in between what seemed to be pieces of broken glass. Ron could not feel a pull anymore.

"Yes! Fuck yes!" he shouted, then made a three-way call.

"Weasley!" said Draco's voice

"Ron!" said Harry and Pansy at the same time.

"I'm ok. I did it. I want to get out of here before someone else comes, but I'll call you from the road. Hermione, I'm sending you a picture that you will want to see. I think I found the grave of Morgana. There is writing on it."

"Awesome, send it please. Great job, Ronald."

"Go back to the manor," said Draco. "You will be safe there. Call us back when you are away from Hogwarts and make sure no one is following you."

They all hang up and Draco made another call.

"Patil. I need you to go back to the manor in a couple of hours. Bring whatever you need to work from the office there."

"What the fuck for, Malfoy? I'm very busy, you know, I'm your lawyer, not your footman."

"Just charge me whatever insane hourly rate it is you like to put on me. I just need you to be available. I'll make sure Madam Pomfrey makes you an amazing dinner." then he hung up.

Hermione looked at him, eyebrow lifted.

"What?"

"You are not pimping out your lawyer, are you?"

He smirked

"I just want to make sure Weasley stays put when he gets to the manor. He strikes me as too restless to just sit and wait. And I did not ask my lawyer to do anything she would not want to do. Whatever happens would be between consenting adults," he said winking.


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione was speeding through the Norwegian landscape, feeling like it was yesterday that she had been there with Viktor. Her focus was on the familiar roads, but her thoughts would escape back to that time, so she was not talking much. Draco could feel it, and it made him uneasy.

Finally, she spoke

"We're here", she said, pointing towards a castle that was half still standing but obviously uninhabited. She pulled over and he grabbed her hand before she could get out of the car.

"Are you ambidextrous with the blade?" he asked

She nodded. He opened the case he had carried and pulled a dagger similar to the one she had on her hairpin. It was about the same weight and feel. She smiled and kissed his cheek, then jump off the car. He retrieved a sword and a hunting knife from the case and walked carefully behind her until they both stiffen. There was an unmistakable pull in that place. They walked around a crumbling wall and then they saw him. A dark-haired, bearded man with a hooked nose was standing in what seemed to have been an archway

"Vell, vell, vell," he said with a thick Eastern European accent, "if it isn't the French whore. How are you, Granger?" he asked with a mocking bow.

"Poliakoff!" she yelled with uncharacteristic carelessness and ran towards the bearded man, one dagger in each hand, both sparkling with green light.

Draco felt the blood in his veins freeze. Hermione was heading towards danger without thinking, she seemed to be blinded by rage. The man was waiting for her, a malevolous grin on his face, his sword ready to swing. He was going to cut her in half. Draco ran behind her, then the world seemed to slow down. As the bearded man lifted his sword, Hermione slid to the floor, feet first, one hand stabbing the man's leg, and as he fell in pain, she lifted herself and stabbed him in the back with the other hand. The momentum made her fall on the floor over the pile of dusty bones that had been her enemy.

Draco picked her up quickly, looking at the pile of bones as if it was still going to raise and attack her. Then he looked at her. Her face was still raging, but tears were rolling down her cheeks. He did one last check of their surroundings and felt for pulls to make sure they were alone, then turned back to her

"What was that, my love? Why would you charge like that, do you know how scared I was?" he said, trying to control the anger in his voice.

She sobbed and leaned on his chest. He let her cry, running his fingers up and down her back until she seemed to calm down and started speaking

"That man was Alexei Poliakoff. He was supposed to be Viktor's best friend. They were companions for years. But then Igor Karkaroff offered him a pile of gold and he revealed where we were hiding. Because of him, Viktor is dead," she growled.

Draco held her close to him again. He was very conflicted, jealousy consuming him at the idea of Hermione loving another man, but also enraged to know that she had been made to suffer so much. She finally peeled herself off and said

"Come on, we need to feel for the vial."

They close their eyes for a few minutes to sense the pull of the vial. Their instinct took them to the center of the structure, where they saw a niche with a carving of Yggdrasil, the Norse tree of the cosmos.

"First the tomb of Morgana and now an altar for the Norse gods. That bastard Riddle is really full of himself," said Draco, and they began digging. The daggers hit something that sounded like thick glass, and Hermione took a step back, letting Draco raise his sword, which started to glow an intense green. He discharged it to the ground forcefully and they both fell back with the wave of power that came from it. In the center of a hole were the pieces of glass, now apparently inert. Draco stood up and offered his hand to Hermione.

"Let's get out of here before someone else comes," he said, pulling her towards the car, his voice harsher than usual.

Hermione didn't like his demeanor. Then it hit her. She realized he was feeling jealous. Her emotional display just moments ago must have been too much for him to witness, even if her love for Viktor was far in the past.

"Draco," she called, pulling him by the wrist. When he turned around she pulled him for a passionate kiss. He tried to resist for a half second, but it was a futile effort. He wrapped her in his arms and lifted her to sit on the hood of the car so he could fit himself between her legs and she obliged, wrapping him close. They kissed and rubbed against each other for a while until she said between breaths

"We should call the others. Tell them we did it and check to make sure they are fine."

He agreed grumpily, but it was better to keep moving. They got on the car and she drove towards the airport. Draco called Harry and Pansy first and put them on the car speakers so they could both hear the tale of what had happened, how Harry had connected with Ron across the continent and how they should keep that in mind whenever they felt overwhelming danger. Then Hermione told them the episode with Poliakoff. They could hear Pansy gasp on the phone, terrified for Hermione.

"Are you sure you are ok, sweetheart? Please tell me he didn't hurt you," asked an anxious Pansy, incapable of controlling herself. Draco answered her

"Poliakoff didn't have a prayer. Hermione was so fast I barely had time to react. She is fine, darling, I promise you that."

"Alright then. You two go back to the manor and we will keep you posted," said Harry, and they hung up.

Next, Draco called Parvati's mobile

"What the fuck do you want, Malfoy? I'm quite busy!" barked Parvati in her usual tone, but then in the background, Draco heard Ron's voice

"Baby please don't stop, I'm so close."

"Nevermind, Patil, carry on," said Draco with a chuckle, and hang the phone. "Ronald is fine, more than fine, I dare say" he mused.

"Lawyer keeping him busy?"

"Quite so. How about we hurry back to the plane and I keep you busy on the flight back?"

She smiled. "Sounds like a plan."


	15. Chapter 15

Harry slowed the car down when they approached what seemed to be the entrance to an abandoned chateau

"Can you feel it?'

"Yes. We are definitely close," answered Pansy

There was an old, faded sign on the gate of the property that read "Beauxbatons." Harry pulled into the long, unpaved driveway, which seemed to have never been used for automobiles, only horse-pulled carriages. He parked close to the mansion's main entrance. He turned to retrieve a case that Draco had given him before leaving the manor, saying that it contained blades that would be useful to them. When he opened the case, he saw that there were two swords in it. One seemed small sized and he was eyeing it curiously when Pansy yelped excitedly

"It's my sword! Draco kept it all this time!" then she turned to look at Harry and explained "when we got married he had this made especially for me. Is perfectly weighted and balanced. When I ran away from home I didn't take it because I wanted to be inconspicuous, and a woman alone carrying a full-length sword back then would absolutely be considered a bandit or a witch and got hanged without trial. But I missed it so much!" she said looking at the blade with longing eyes.

"Would you like me to leave the two of you alone?" he asked, obvious jealousy in his voice. Not jealousy of the sword, of course, but it was hard to forget the fact that at some point Pansy had been shipped all the way from France for the exclusive purpose to lay in Draco's bed. So the reminders of their past together, however far away that was, caused him to feel sour. She slapped his arm playfully and asked, eyeing the case

"What did you get?"

They both looked inside and she gasped again

"That was his father's sword. Lucius was an extraordinary swordsman too. It's a nice gesture. Draco is putting his trust in you."

Harry smiled. "I guess he forgave me for shaving his messenger way back then."

They chuckled but then got serious. It was time to explore this place. They entered the abandoned chateau and walked its hallways carefully. When they approached the wide doorway of what was probably a ballroom Pansy saw a shadow and quickly swing her sword. It stopped right before it touched the skin of the neck of a man with greasy black hair.

"Marguerite. Lovely to see you," drawled the man, his face impassive despite having a blade to his throat.

"Severus. It's been a while. My name is Pansy now. You didn't charge, so can I assume you mean us no harm?"

"You have always been too sweet for your own good, Marguerite, or whatever your name is these days. You shouldn't be so trusting. But yes, I mean no harm to you. And by extension, to whomever your companion is," he said, looking at Harry. Without moving his eyes from the other man he added "I felt the pull to come here. Kinship. That is unusual for this place. Usually, this is a field of betrayal. So I guess I was supposed to come and see you," he said and turned his sword in his hand to surrender it to Pansy.

She took it, although she felt it was unnecessary because she wanted Harry to feel comfortable. He didn't know Severus Snape. The man was sour as a lemon, but his word could be trusted.

"This is Harry Potter. Harry, meet Severus Snape."

"Potter," said Snape, his words dragging like he wanted to emphasize each letter. "Used to be Peverell, I presume?"

"Yes," answered Harry, trying not to look impressed that the Frenchman knew who he was. He decided to counter with a question of his own "what do you know about this place, Snape? Does it have any mythical significance or something like that?"

Severus considered him for a minute, then answered.

"The chateau is relatively modern, maybe three hundred years old or so. But is built over land that was once a place of worship for the Gaul god Belenus. It should be sacred land, but for some reason, there is no protection here. It is possible for immortals to fight here, I do not understand why."

"The vial," said Harry and Pansy at the same time. They looked at each other, then she explained.

"Thomas the Riddle buried four vials of his own blood in places of high mythical significance. Hogwarts castle in Scotland, Durmstrang in Norway, one here and we suspect one more somewhere in Albania. The vials alter the magic of the place. More immortals are born in the lands surrounding them and the protection of sacred ground is lost. Our friends fought immortals and destroy two vials already, the ones at Hogwarts and Durmstrang."

Snape took his time to reply

"If there is a vial here, it is outside the chateau. I felt a strong pull in the gardens, which makes sense. Belenus is the sun god, so its worship would not be done indoors. There is a fountain in the middle of the garden with a statue of a godlike figure riding a chariot pulled by horses. That must be Belenus. I dare say that is where the vial is hidden."

They made their way to the gardens, and though unkept, they would have certainly been beautiful before. The fountain was covered in moss, but the pull was undeniable.

"I think you're going to have to break it," said Harry with an apologetic look. "I think the fountain was built atop of the vial's hiding place."

Pansy gestured for Snape and Harry to step back, then concentrated and lifted her sword. She was going to have to crush the stone from the fountain, so when she conjured the power, Harry turned his hands' palms up and focused on her, as to reach her with his own power. The green light surrounded her completely, and with a yell, she stabbed the stone ground. All three of them fell back when the wave of power exploded. Somehow, Snape kept his slow, cool demeanor and while sitting up said

"Well, seems like you only took a chunk of the fountain. It was polite of you to not blow the whole thing off."

Harry and Pansy couldn't help but laugh. Snape was a strange character. After they all look down the crater and saw the shattered glass, Pansy said to Snape

"Come back to England with us. You will be safe at Malfoy Manor."

"I despise British cuisine. I'll give you my number and you text me when your merry gang decides to go to Albania. I have my own safe havens right here at home," he said, waving a dismissive hand. With a half-hearted gesture of good-bye, he walked towards an SUV parked behind the chateau and soon enough they only saw the dust from his tires.

"Not very friendly, eh?' quipped Harry.

"Still. A useful fella to have on your side." Then she turned to face her lover and added "let's make the call on our way to the airport. I want to sleep in my bed at the manor tonight. That is after I'm done with you."

"I feel so utterly used," he said, pulling her in for a passionate kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

_There's no time for us  
There's no place for us  
What is this thing that builds our dreams  
Yet slips away from us?  
Who wants to live forever?  
Who wants to live forever?  
There's no chance for us  
It's all decided for us  
This world has only one  
Sweet moment set aside for us  
Who wants to live forever?  
Who wants to live forever?  
Who?  
Who dares to love forever  
Oh, when love must die?_

Ronald Weasley looked at the beautiful woman asleep next to him. For the first time in 800 years, he lamented that his time may be almost over. All this time, after he lost all of his family, he lived for the moment: eat, drink, fight, fuck, repeat. Since there was no ending in sight, it was all about pursuing a thrill, in the drink, in the women, in the fight. Now he may be approaching his end, and for the first time in centuries, he wished it was no here yet. But, of course, he understood the reason for the feeling was the contemplation of his own mortality. One of the few pleasures he had been able to add to his life in the last hundred years was watching movies, and a piece of dialogue from one of them came to mind now:

 _The gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment may be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again._

Right now the woman sleeping next to him looked like perfection. The lustrous black hair, the flawless cinnamon skin, the soft way her breasts moved with every breath. Had he not found himself in a mission to end his curse, this woman would have been only a shag. But now, things did look quite different. A beautiful but smart and strong-headed woman like this may have sounded like a nightmare only a week ago. Now, it sounded like someone that would not fall for his bullshit, someone whose respect he would want to earn, and maybe someone to build a home with. He had been alive long enough to know that the quarrels of lovers are usually nothing more than egos and prides fighting for a prize that doesn't exist. He had dodged that trap by avoiding relationships completely, and that had been also a way to save him the pain of losing that love over and over again. But if there was any chance he would be able to have a normal length life he would get over himself and make it count. If he did not end up a pile of dry bones in Albania, he would come back and ask Parvati Patil to be his wife. She would probably call him a moron and try to brush him off, but one thing an eight centuries-long life teaches is patience. He would make her understand that he will love her, deeper and more intensely than anyone else because he would know for sure that this was his last shot at happiness. With a smile he placed a kiss in between her breasts, then laid his head there, listening to her heartbeat. If the end was near, this was the memory he would choose to take with him.

* * *

 _But touch my tears with your lips  
Touch my world with your fingertips  
And we can have forever  
And we can love forever  
Forever is our today_

Harry put all of his passion, his essence, his love on the lips of the woman lying beneath him. There shared ecstasy had been a once in a lifetime experience, even for a lifetime as long as his.

"Marry me. If we come back, if we make it, stay with me."

Pansy smiled and ran her fingers on his hair

"So you want to settle down? Only one woman till death do us part? Isn't it too mundane for a powerful warrior like you?"

He traced kisses from her mouth down her jaw, neck, until he reached her breasts. He peppered kisses on them and in between spoke with utter devotion.

"I want mundane. Routine. A home. A place where I feel like I belong. Honor me, please. Make me a mundane man. A happy man."

She gave him a little smirk

"Can we live close to Hermione?"

He laughed at that

"Whatever makes you happy, my love."

* * *

 _Who wants to live forever?_

 _Who wants to live forever?_

 _Forever is our today_

 _Who waits forever anyway?_

Draco was seated in an armchair, Hermione on his lap, her head leaned on the crook of his neck, their fingers tangling and untangling lazily. Their naked bodies were covered with a soft blanket and the sound of a crackling fireplace gave the room a peaceful atmosphere.

"Are you scared?" He asked

"Not of dying," she responded quietly. "Of loss, yes. Losing Pansy, losing you. Or causing either of you pain if I'm the one gone."

He held her tighter and kissed her temple

"Then let's hope that together we are stronger than anything we would face. No one has tried this before. Immortals are loners by nature. Maybe the fact that we are keeping each other close means more than we can comprehend."

She turned to straddle him

"Have you thought about after? If we make it? What would become of us?"

He pulled her down for a kiss before answering

"Have you ever considered becoming a Duchess?"

She smiled into his lips

"If I had a penny for every time I've been asked that."

* * *

AN: Who Wants to Live Forever lyrics by Brian May. The dialogue mentioned is from the movie Troy (2004).


	17. Chapter 17

_Flight departing now. Will land in three hours, about an hour drive after that. Will get to the forest and follow the pull. Take care until we get there._

Pansy turned off her cell phone after texting Severus Snape, then leaned back in the comfortable seat and reached for Hermione's hand. The two women shared a bittersweet smile and stayed silent as the plane taxied off. The men were seated at the front, facing each other over a small table, also silent. Draco pulled out a deck of cards and without another word shuffle and deal them. Words were unnecessary. Whatever was to come, will come.

Hours later, as they drove down the last dirt road before the forest, they all felt a cringing version of the pull. Ron hit the gas and Harry took a deep breath, focusing his power which threatened to blow out of him. On the back seat of the luxurious SUV, Draco was seated in between the two women, holding hands with them. It was obvious that a dangerous confrontation was about to happen very close to them.

* * *

"It's been a long time, Severus. I did not think it was you who was hunting me. I did not think you so reckless," spoke a hoarse voice from between yellow, crooked teeth.

Snape's face showed revulsion at his appearance, keeping his distance. What had happened to him? Thomas Riddle had been the most handsome, charismatic of men. Now his head was completely bald, his skin had a repulsive waxy, citrine appearance that made him look like a snake, and he wore a raggy black cloak. If he had pursued immortality relentlessly only to end up like this, it had been a waste of a millennium.

"You have changed, Thomas. Immortality doesn't suit you. I guess the outside finally reflects the decay within," drawled Snape with a sneer.

"And what do you care, Severus? Is not like you have been a saint yourself. There was a time you would follow me anywhere," answered Riddle.

"Well that did not last long, did it? To realize that whatever you were after was only for yourself and that your followers were a bunch of fools? I don't mind counting myself a fool, knowing that I walked away. And now, I know your secret too," he said, lifting his sword and dropping int forcefully on the ground. The explosion opened a crater on the ground. Riddle gave a horrible scream, shaking violently to see his last vial destroyed.

"You are not nearly powerful enough to confront me, Severus. You are going into the void. It was foolish of you to come here."

At that moment a strong immortal presence electrified the air

"Maybe I will," said Snape with a smirk, "but it won't be for long. The one with the strength to defeat you is here. I have met him. I have felt his power. You feared him centuries ago. Now he is even more powerful and unlike you, he is not alone."

The sound of running steps crushing over the leaves make them look, and they saw the approaching figures, swords and daggers crackling in their hands. Draco took the first shot, throwing the dagger that he carried with impeccable aim, but as it reached Riddle the man lightened up in green fire and the repelling force threw them all back. They all charged, but Riddle seemed to be surrounded by a field that did not allow them to maneuver the way they intended, missing their target over and over again while the snake-looking man cackled with insanity. Fighting the energy field was exhausting and they hurt themselves as their swings seemed to hit invisible walls, making them stumble.

Riddle charged towards Ronald and when his sword came down towards the redhead's neck he missed by an inch and hit the steel of another blade. Hermione had pulled Ron out of the way and Harry at that moment had jumped in front, finally crossing the force field around his enemy. They fought intensely, each blow that Riddle hit made Harry wabble, he had never encountered this amount of strength. The other four grouped together and held hands, trying to focus their power towards him, and it leveled the fight somewhat, but Harry was obviously losing strength with each crossing of blades, which felt like taking on a thunderbolt every time.

"Is not enough," cried Pansy, "he needs more power. Severus, please, come join us," she said extending a pleading hand.

Snape looked at the hand and then at the fighting pair. Pansy watched with horror as the greasy-haired man jumped in front of Riddle and pointed his sword to Harry's throat. The snake faced man laughed cruelly

"Well, well, this is an interesting twist. Severus has always been good at picking the winning side."

"Indeed," Snape replied, eyes fixed on Harry. "Potter, you do not have enough power in you to defeat him. You do not have enough kills. Nothing gives power like taking down a powerful immortal. You are short on your roster. If only you have had one more...one powerful kill would be enough,"

Harry took a ragged breath, looking Severus in the eyes. The man held his gaze and nodded, then lowered his sword. Harry took a deep breath and swang his own. Severus Snape broke down in a pile of dusty bones. A green wave seemed to descend over Harry and with a scream he launched over Riddle, his sword plunged through the man's chest until it came out his back. The monstrous man looked down at his perforated chest and with forced breaths tried to laugh

"You… can't… kill me. You… are… not...enough," he coughed out his foaming deformed mouth.

"Harry, dunk!"

He followed the command and dropped to the ground. Four flashes of light flew over him and buried themselves in the wounded man whose convulsing flesh finally dissolved horribly and the bones dried up before their eyes.


	18. Chapter 18

Epilogue.

 _To escape immortality you must embrace mortality. Truly embrace it. Crave and be willing to live a normal human life. And once you embrace it there is no coming back. You will be a common man. But it is not human nature to crave death. So to surrender eternity you must really embrace the beauty of the mundane human life._

The five friends sat in silence, pondering the words that Hermione had just read to them. She had finished the translation of the only passage they could track from the writings of Morgana.

"So what happens now?" asked Harry. "How would we know if we are still immortal, besides trying something stupid?

They all had come back from Albania feeling different. Their bodies felt...fragile in an unusual way. They felt very human. When they got back to the manor they run to find the portrait of Albus Dumbledore and found the canvas empty, just a fixed landscape on it. Hopefully, all of those who were condemned before had now found some sort of rest. And they had spent the last month looking for signs of what had changed. Most of the signs were subjective, hard to pinpoint. But a few objective events had started to appear.

Draco spoke carefully in response.

"Well, for starters, we do not feel the pull towards each other. None of us does. And I cut myself with an envelope opener and had to put a band-aid on it," he said with a smile, "but the girls can already tell better that something big is happening, right?" he looked at Hermione, holding her hand and making her blush.

"Well yes. I think Pansy and I are...no longer barren. After getting courses for the first time in our lives we both went to a women's clinic to get checked. By medical standards, we are healthy 22-year old women."

Ronald stood up and started walking out of the room

"Where are you going?" called Harry behind him.

"To get myself checked. Hopefully, I now have some good swimmers, then I can start Operation Convince Patil to Marry Me." He let the door slam behind him.

"That is one brave man right there," quipped Draco.

* * *

"I insist, brave man if there was ever one," Draco whispered in Hermione's ear as they walked arm in arm down the aisle towards the canopy of flowers where the groom stood. She pinched his arm playfully and he turned to steal a kiss from her. When they got to the front she went to stand next to Pansy and they held hands. They looked radiant in matching halter dresses of pale peach color that emphasized their full breasts and fell softly over their baby bumps. The groomsmen looked at each other and shared a malicious grin. They were both enjoying immensely the beauty of sharing a bed with women that were going through that beautiful transformation. It was with great effort that they left said beds these days, but today the occasion more than justified it. They were here to witness former lothario Ronald Weasley join his life with ex-ice queen Parvati Patil.

That romance had gone exactly as Ron predicted: he showed up at her doorstep with a diamond ring and she slammed it on his face. Then he showed up the next day naked except for a kilt and told her it was so she would be reassured that he had nowhere to hide a ring. She was about to close the door again but the kilt was tenting up in a very enticing way so she let him in. For weeks she tried to resist him, telling herself that he was not the ruthless lawyer or politician she thought she would join forces with and become a power couple. But every night, when she came home exhausted from dealing with those cold-hearted lawyers and politicians, she found Ronald Weasley sitting on his motorcycle, waiting for her, ready to do her bidding. Every time she called him a brute he answered "you have no idea," then bent her over the nearest surface and made her come harder than she ever had in her life. When she called him a savage he would chuckle and take off his clothes and stand there, daring her to resist the temptation that was pointing at her like a challenge. When she called him an animal he would make sure to devour her until she lost all control. Six months later, she asked if he had kept the ring.

"Last chance to run," whispered Draco when a gorgeous Parvati walked down the aisle wearing a stunning gown with a very low sweetheart decolletage.

Ron chuckled. "No way. I can die now, and I want to die with my face buried between those tits," he said, smiling at his bride.

* * *

After the wedding, the pregnant couples went back home and sat together for a nightcap. Harry and Pansy were still living at the Manor. The Potters had offered to find a place for themselves but the Malfoys were reluctant to part from them. They all understood each other in ways that no one else could, save Ron, who had moved in with Parvati before the wedding but also spent a lot of time with them as his new wife went to the Manor almost every day for work. They had shared with her their secret, and pragmatic as Parvati Patil was, she simply gathered all the information she could and then decided that she had known Draco long enough to trust him and now she was deliriously happy with Ron, so why not take a chance. You only live once.

 _And we can have forever,_

 _And we can love forever,_

 _Forever is our today._


End file.
